Boxlike container with removable cover

ABSTRACT

A boxlike container with a removable cover, each end wall of the box carrying a rotatable lock to connect the container to the cover or disconnect it therefrom, depending on the angular position into which the lock has been rotated.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Paul Schmid lm Ettingerhot 5, Basel, 4000, Switzerland; Paul Halter, Therwilerstr. 43, 4103 Bottmingen. Switzerland Denes........................... 5/1952 Abdallah et a1. 7/1957 Kaye 6/1958 Schlueter,....

[21 Appl. No. [22] Filed Jan. 27,1969 [45] Patented Aug. 10, 1971 FOREIGN PATENTS 471,725 9/1937 GreatBritain.....,..........

312/284 563,364 8/1944 GreatBritain................ 312/284 Primary ExaminerJames T. McCall Attorney-Krafft & Wells [54] BOXLIKE CONTAINER WITH REMOVABLE COVER 5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

ABSTRACT: A boxlike container with a removable cove each end wall of the box carryi th ng a rotatable lock to connect e container to the cover or disconnect it therefrom 8 m m 2& H28 1 b A C G & L U .m n 1 5 5 dependhas been [50] Field 2921202, ing on the angular position into which the lock rotated.

l I r- F PATENTEU AUBIOBII 3,598,465

FIG.5

INVENTORS Paul Schmid Paul Ha/fer' BY WF'ZJM ATTORNEYS BOXLIKE CONTAINER WITH REMOVABLE COVER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The field of the invention is supports for cabinet structures with typewriter-type housing having a carrying handle.

The state of the prior art is set forth in the U.S. Pats. No. 1,344,718 of Riddell which issued June 29, i920, and No. 1,548,915 ofSmallbone which issued Aug. 11, I925.

The patent of Riddell discloses a sewing machine cover wherein the cover is attached to the base by way of twin dowels attached to a bar. The dowels are inserted through holes in the cover into sockets inv the base of a sewing machine. The patent of Smallbone also discloses a base and cover for portable sewing machines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a housing structure which has particular utility as a rain cover for a box of index cards. Each end wall of the box carries a rotatable lock with a flattened knob whose flat surfaces can be positioned either horizontally or vertically to lock the cover to the box or to disconnect it to permit removal of the cover. The cover has slots in the matching walls to mate with the flattened knobs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The invention will now be described more in detail with reference to the drawing, wherein: I

FIG. 1 shows a fragmentary side view of the container and cover;

FIG. 2 shows an end view of the box with the lick mounted thereon;

FIGS. 3 and 4 show opposite ends of the box in section with a lock mounted in each end;

FIG. 5 shows a portion of an end wall of the cover with the box locked thereto; and

FIG. 6 shows an end view of the lock with its rotatable part in cross section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention consists essentially of a box like container 1 with an open top, which may be of the kind suitable for carrying index cards. In order to protect the contents of the box against damage or loss, it is provided with a removable cover 2 equipped with a handle 3 which can be mounted inside the cover, as shown in dotted lines, in inverted position at 3 for convenience and safety during transportation. The side and end walls of the cover extend over the outside of the box to protect the box and its contents against possible damage by ram.

Each end wall of the cover is provided with a downwardly opening slot 4 terminating at its upper end in a circular enlargement 5 to receive the flattened knob 6 of a rotatable lock whose inner end 6' is rotatably mounted in a bearing ring 7 cemented or otherwise secured in an end wall of the box 1. The inner end 6 of the rotatable lock has a transverse bore through it to receive a pair of steel balls 8 urged outwardly by a coiled spring to keep the rotatable part of the lick in any one of the four positions provided for by the radial bores 7' in the bearing ring 7. The rotatable part of the lock is kept in position in the ring 7 by retainer clips 9.

When the knobs 6 are positioned with their flat sides horizontal, the box and cover will be locked to each other, but when their flat sides are positioned vertically, the cover can be lifted away from the box.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions and, accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim: 1. A boxlike container and a removable cover, said cover extending over the side and end walls of the container, a rotatable lock carried by a wall of the container and comprising a flattened knob adapted to be rotated to bring its flattened portion into either a vertical or a horizontal plane, and a downwardly opening slot in the adjacent wall of the cover adapted to receive the flattened portion of the knob while the cover is applied or removed, said slot having an enlarged upper end to permit rotation of the knob into a horizontal plane to connect the container to the cover or into a vertical plane to disconnect the cover from the container, and means to yieldably stop the rotation of the knob in any one of a plurality of positions angularly spaced from one another.

2. The container and cover ofclaim l, in which each of two opposite walls of the container is equipped with said rotatable lock and the adjacent walls of the cover each having said downwardly opening slot, the two locks being symmetrically positioned so as to permit application of the cover in either of two positions from each other.

3. The container and cover in claim 2, wherein said cover has a carrying handle on the top thereof.

4. The container and cover of claim 2, wherein said means to yieldably stop the rotation of the knob in any one ofa plurality of positions angularly spaced from one another comprise bearing rings secured in said opposite walls, radial bores in four positions in each of said bearing rings, said rotatable locks rotatably mounted in said bearing rings and said rotatable locks having inner ends with transverse bores receiving a pair of steel balls urged outwardly by a coiled spring.

5. The container and cover of claim 4, wherein said rotatable locks are maintained in rotatable positions in said bearing rings by retainer clips. 

1. A boxlike container and a removable cover, said cover extending over the side and end walls of the container, a rotatable lock carried by a wall of the container and comprising a flattened knob adapted to be rotated to bring its flattened portion into either a vertical or a horizontal plane, and a downwardly opening slot in the adjacent wall of the cover adapted to receive the flattened portion of the knob while the cover is applied or removed, said slot having an enlarged upper end to permit rotation of the knob into a horizontal plane to connect the container to the cover or into a vertical plane to disconnect the cover from the container, and means to yieldably stop the rotation of the knob in any one of a plurality of positions angularly spaced from one another.
 2. The container and cover of claim 1, in which each of two opposite walls of the container is equipped with said rotatable lock and the adjacent walls of the cover each having said downwardly opening slot, the two locks being symmetrically positioned so as to permit application of the cover in either of two positions 180* from each other.
 3. The container and cover in claim 2, wherein said cover has a carrying handle on the top thereof.
 4. The container and cover of claim 2, wherein said means to yieldably stop the rotation of the knob in any one of a plurality of positions angularly spaced from one another comprise bearing rings secured in said opposite walls, radial bores in four positions in each of said bearing rings, said rotatable locks rotatably mounted in said bearing rings and said rotatable locks having inner ends with transverse bores receiving a pair of steel balls urged outwardly by a coiled spring.
 5. The container and cover of claim 4, wherein said rotatable locks are maintained in rotatable positions in said bearing rings by retainer clips. 